ABSTRACT
The system allows for infrastructure funding rather than individual project funding and recognises that there are costs associated with planning and starting up a programme of research as well as actually carrying out research projects. Research practices are NHS general practices where one or more partners and other practice staff have a special interest in and experience of research. Research networks are a relatively new development in primary care research in Britain. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research Network is a different sort of network. The RCGP has a national research adviser who is able, free of charge, to advise GPs about research projects. Research in primary care lends itself to a multidisciplinary approach because of the strengths of the primary care team. Some health problems almost exclusively affect rural dwellers, for example the effects of organophosphate sheep dips on the health of farmers or access to confidential contraceptive advice for teenagers in rural areas.
